Joint Base Lewis McChord Town Hall Meeting with the Sergeant Major of the Army 3 March 2015

The new Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel Dailey held a town hall meeting at Joint Base Lewis McChord this past Tuesday where he answered questions and addressed some of the Soldier's concerns.

Among the many topics were, Tattoos, Equipment, Drill Sergeants at AIT, New PT Test, Online Training issues and the old school smoke sessions. Here are the highlights from this town hall meeting.

TattoosSMA Dailey said that he would look into the changes made to the tattoo policy because this is a big concern for many Soldiers and has a impact on some careers. SMA Dailey told the troops "I don't want this to be the deciding factor for a good soldier to get out," The update to Army Regulation 670-1 was released in March and updated in September. It limits the number of tattoos soldiers can have below the elbow and knee. The regulation initially barred soldiers who ran afoul of the rules from requesting a commission, sparking anger among many soldiers.

Outdated EquipmentSoldiers asked about the lack of proper equipment for training when they return from deployments. The SMA told the Soldiers that it simply comes down to the cost as most of the resources that were provided to the Army were sent to the theatre of operation and left there leaving less in the budget to field new equipment for training back home.

Drill Sergeants at AIT"Don't expect to see Drill Sergeants at AIT in the future" SMA Dailey told Soldiers that both the high cost of training and low number of eligible NCOs to fill the available drill sergeant positions were the deciding factor in taking the drill sergeants out of AIT in the first place. The SMA noted that he reviewed the records of the candidates and hand picked every drill sergeant while he was the TRADOC SGM because of the high level of responsibility involved with the job.

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New Army PT Test"There are no changes planned for the current APFT" Researchers would have to come up with a solid plan which would not hurt the Soldiers, addresses gender, and fit with the Soldier 2020 model. The SMA noted that the units should be conducting PT to meet the operational needs which should surpass that of the APFT.

Online TrainingA Soldier voiced his concern about the access issues with online training off duty. The SMA suggested using various resources online as well as buying CAC readers for use with the Soldier's personal computers.

DisciplineThe SMA told Soldiers that "The Army does not have a discipline problem" and that todays NCOs must find the way to provide Motivation, direction and purpose for their Soldiers. He noted that the old school smoke sessions as a mean of corrective training are ineffective and have a short term effect and that NCOs need be "less emotional and more informed" when it comes to leadership.